Seeing Uchiha Fuhai hanging his head in dejection, Mo Yu was worried about pushing him too hard, so he decided to change the subject.
"Looking at your eyes, the side effects must be quite severe, right?" Mo Yu asked.
Uchiha Fuhai's eyes, though the blood streaks beneath them had dried, appeared somewhat dull, like gemstones that had lost their luster.
Uchiha Fuhai forced a bitter smile. "Severe doesn't even begin to cover it. I feel like my Mangekyō Sharingan could regress to the three-tomoe level at any moment."
Mo Yu pondered for a moment. "It seems that using Tsukuyomi right after your eyes are just upgraded puts a huge strain on them."
Uchiha Fuhai nodded. "Exactly. I think my eyes might only last half as long as a normal Mangekyō Sharingan... sigh."
Mo Yu patted him on the shoulder. "Don't be so down. Since I've made you one of my subordinates, I won't leave you empty-handed. Consider this a reward paid in advance."
"What reward?" Uchiha Fuhai asked.
Mo Yu took out a small bottle from his pocket, which contained several green pills.
These were no ordinary pills; they had been exchanged from the system just a moment ago.
"You'll know once you take it." Mo Yu handed him the bottle.
Uchiha Fuhai looked at it suspiciously. If anyone else had offered him something so mysterious, he would have refused outright. But since his life was in Mo Yu's hands, and he'd just agreed to become his subordinate, refusing didn't seem appropriate.
After some hesitation, Uchiha Fuhai gritted his teeth, took a pill from the bottle, and swallowed it.
"At worst, I'll die. What's there to fear?"
After swallowing, Uchiha Fuhai immediately felt a warm sensation rising from his abdomen, spreading throughout his limbs.
Finally, the warmth concentrated in his eyes.
"This is!!"
Uchiha Fuhai widened his eyes in shock.
His vision had been blurry before, like someone newly developing myopia. But now, as the warmth flowed into his eyes, the world seemed to be cleaned and brightened. His vision instantly became clear and sharp.
His eyesight was restored, his eyes no longer felt fatigued, and the side effects from forcibly using Tsukuyomi disappeared.
Most importantly, Uchiha Fuhai could sense that his Mangekyō Sharingan was stabilized at the Mangekyō level, and he could safely use it from now on.
"Mo Yu, Lord Mo Yu, what exactly is this? My eyes... I feel..."
Uchiha Fuhai exclaimed, now unconsciously addressing Mo Yu with respect. One could imagine how shocked he was inside.
Mo Yu smiled faintly. "Does it feel like your eyes are fully healed now?"
Uchiha Fuhai nodded eagerly. "Yes, and it feels even better than before."
Mo Yu replied, "Don't get too excited just yet. These are just illusions. The pills can't fully eliminate the side effects of the Mangekyō Sharingan. They can only reduce the side effects to a minimum and extend the lifespan of your eyes."
"Just that?"
Uchiha Fuhai's voice unconsciously rose. "This is already incredible! It's practically a miracle pill! Lord Mo Yu, could you possibly..."
"Want the recipe?" Mo Yu gave him a faint smile.
Uchiha Fuhai knew his request was a bit excessive, but thinking of the importance of such a medicine for both himself and his clan, he decided to push his luck. "Yes, if you would be willing to share it, our clan is ready to pay any price."
Mo Yu shook his head. "There's no room for negotiation."
Uchiha Fuhai looked disappointed.
"However... if you perform well in the future, I might consider giving it to you," Mo Yu said.
"Really?"
Uchiha Fuhai seemed doubtful.
Mo Yu replied, "I've told you before, even this entire world is just a larger cage. What you find precious, to me, is nothing."
This time, Uchiha Fuhai really began to believe Mo Yu's words. After all, the mere fact that Mo Yu casually produced such a medicine indicated he was far from ordinary.
Uchiha Fuhai gritted his teeth and said firmly, "Alright, you can count on me. I will do whatever you ask from now on!"
Mo Yu nodded in satisfaction. This was exactly the response he wanted.
To make a horse run, you can't just whip it—you've got to feed it grass too.
Coercion alone doesn't work. The real key is to combine force with reward.
First, you subdue someone with power, then give them a little sweetener. How could they possibly disobey?
After all, Mo Yu was an experienced transmigrator, and his methods of managing subordinates were quite refined.
Now, what exactly were these pills?
They were a product that Mo Yu exchanged from his system. For 1 gold coin, he could get a whole bunch of them—barely worth anything.
According to the system's description, the primary ingredient of these pills was Wood Release cells, which were why they could suppress the side effects of the Mangekyō Sharingan.
"You only need to take one of these pills a month. There's enough in this bottle for a year. Once you finish them, I'll give you more," Mo Yu said. "With these pills, you can safely use your Mangekyō Sharingan without worry. As long as you don't overuse it every time, you can be sure your eyesight won't degrade for at least the next ten years."
"Yes!"
Uchiha Fuhai, excited, carefully stored the pills.
"Now, what will you do next? Are you continuing with the exam?" he asked.
Mo Yu thought for a moment and shook his head. "No, I plan to leave Konoha."
"Leave?"
"Wasn't your mission to kill me during the exam? Now, you can consider your task complete. I've already died, you understand what I mean, right?"
Uchiha Fuhai's eyes flickered. "You want to fake your death to escape?"
"Smart."
Mo Yu praised him. "If I were to return to Konoha safely, do you think your clan would just let me go?"
Uchiha Fuhai knew his clan's style all too well and shook his head. "No, they wouldn't."
"Exactly. That's just more trouble for me," Mo Yu said.
There was one thing Mo Yu didn't mention: if he truly had a falling out with the Uchiha clan, there was a high chance that the higher-ups in Konoha would side with the Uchihas.
After all, he was just a powerless, slightly talented civilian ninja, whereas the Uchiha clan was an indispensable backbone of Konoha. It was obvious which side would be prioritized.
If it came to that, not only would he be opposing the Uchiha, but he might also be shunned by the Konoha higher-ups.
What really worried Mo Yu, though, was the potential fallout for his friends.
If he stood opposed to Konoha, what would Flagship Sakyun do?
Would he help Konoha deal with Mo Yu, or would he join Mo Yu in betraying the village?
And there was also Ichiro, who was just an ordinary person. He had only recently gained a stable life. Mo Yu couldn't drag him into running away from Konoha and living as a wandering ninja.
Considering all these factors, Mo Yu decided to take this opportunity to shed his old identity and disappear, distancing himself from Konoha's turmoil. Once he became stronger, he could always come back and take revenge.
"By the way, after I leave, can you take care of my friends from the shadows? Don't let them get involved in this mess," Mo Yu said.
Uchiha Fuhai nodded. "Don't worry. As long as you're 'dead,' any past grievances with our clan will be erased."
Mo Yu nodded. "I'm not worried about that. I just don't trust Uchiha Fugaku. He's petty and might try to cause trouble for my friends."
Uchiha Fuhai laughed. "Haha, don't worry about that. My useless younger brother is locked up. He won't be out unless he becomes a jōnin."
"Your younger brother?" Mo Yu asked.
"Yes, you didn't know? Fugaku and I are half-brothers. Same father, different mothers."
When he mentioned "half-brother," Uchiha Fuhai showed a hint of disdain.
Mo Yu smiled knowingly. "I see. That makes things interesting."
Now that Uchiha Fuhai had the Mangekyō Sharingan, if things went as expected, Uchiha Fugaku would also unlock his own Mangekyō soon. When that happened...
Mo Yu couldn't help but smile as he saw an interesting possibility unfolding.
Uchiha Fuhai, seeing Mo Yu's smile, felt a chill run down his spine, a shiver of discomfort creeping over him as if something sinister was about to happen.